MTT on Full Tilt, FInal Table: three handed play

[matvei2006]

I reached the final table in a $2 + 0.25 MTT on Full Tilt. 18 of the 186 entrants made the money. I used to play very tight and merely try to move up the money ladder. Now I am taking a more risks and trying to put myself in position to win. With 3 players remaining I came across a difficult spot. Any advice is much appreciated.

Blinds 1500-3000, 400 antes (10 min levels)

Pot: 5700
Player 1 -62600 (Dealer): folds
Hero 57100 (SB): A-10 offsuit -raises to 9000 (leaves me with 49600)
Villain 157,000 (BB): xx - reraises all-in (another 49600 to me)

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Hero thinks a long time and calls the extra 49,600 all-in...

Here I thought long and hard about whether I should call off my tournament with A-10. In the end I called.

Let me add some background information on what was running through my mind when making this decision.

1) Prior to the final table I played tight-aggressive. I played solid and stole some pots. I have played with the chip leader for a long time during this tournament. With 18 players remaining we played a pot with a paired board on the flop (KK9) and I called his bets with a 9. His betting patterns were inconsistent with K for trips. I beat him with 9A two pair, he had Q high. He said he could have bet more and gotten me to much in that spot. I said I knew he did not have a K and was calling him down. He remarked he observed me playing tight throughout the tournament and could have shoved in and made me laydown.

2)When I was facing his reraise all in over my A-10 three handed , I wondered if he thought i was raising with any two cards and he could shove in with anything and make me laydown because I was supposedly tight.

3) A-10 is a heavy favourite ag any two random cards which the big blind holds. However, with 49600 in chips I can muck had still have about 9 orbits left at 5700 chips per round. I could muck here but I also want to give myself a chance to move into 2nd if my A-10 is the best hand. If I muck and go card dead for the next few orbits, I will probably have to make a move with a weaker holding.

4) The Big blind and button are both very good players who mix up their games. Neither are donks, I know I cannot count on them to make huge mistakes. If I was up against 2 donks whom I could badly outplay I would muck and wait for a better spot. I thought since my opponents were tough, I would need to call with A-10 to prevent getting bullied off my raises.

5) Pot odds: When deciding whether to call off my last 49,600 there was 68,800 in the pot. I was getting 1.39 to 1 on my money.

So I called..... after some posts I can post the result of the hand and what the BB was holding.

[tedtodd]

Hmmm....I fold. You're still deep enough, folding will leave you wiht 17bb's. You only lost 3. You're likely to be dominated here.

If you had only 10bb's I would've pushed this all day.

[betgo]

This is a standard call and would be a call if you raised from CO with this hand.

[radiihead]

i call here 3 handed

[mariachiinc]

I think I fold here, but I'm pretty tight until I get heads up. If he wakes up with a hand o well, I'd say most often your a coin flip here.

[matvei2006]

If I had to do this again I would probably fold and wait for a better spot. The Villain had A-J offsuit and I bricked out and finished in 3rd.